Cheesy Ditalini with mixed greens is the perfect light lunch or side dish recipe!
Serve it alongside your favorite chicken or fish dish! Ditalini is boiled in a mixture of Pilsner beer and beef broth. It is highlighted by the flavors of onion and garlic, but the salty, nutty parmesan cheese is what gives it that extra special oomph of flavor. This cheesy ditalini with mixed greens is a simple, quick and super light dish to make for the ones you love most!
I may have mentioned this before, but it has taken me quite a while to adjust to working from home. I should count my lucky stars really that I CAN work from home, but getting used to it and finding a schedule that works for me has taken a lot of time.
In addition to keeping to a strict work schedule, keeping myself from working past 6 in the evenings, and preventing myself from working on the weekends, sticking to a good eating schedule was not the easiest thing to get used to. It’s different when you work a 9-5 job. You have a schedule. You eat at a specific time every day. When you work from home it’s easy to get caught up in what you are doing. You forget to eat, and I have forgotten to eat many breakfasts and lunches over the past 3 years.
About 6 months ago, I found a simple solution to this problem. Treat this working from home thing like you are going to work every day. Plan your lunches on the weekends. Prep them on the weekends, and keep it simple and quick. This cheesy ditalini with mixed greens is one lunch dish that has made it into my weekly rotation. I make it on Sundays and eat it 2-3 times a week. It’s a great make-ahead meal and is great reheated in the microwave. Zach and I have also reheated it to serve alongside chicken for a quick weeknight meal.
This cheesy ditalini is the solution to all your problems you guys! It’s comforting yet light, and so super hearty. Pair it with a Pilsner if you are feeling spunky, and enjoy!
Cheesy Ditalini with Mixed Greens
Servings:
2 -4Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic pressed through a garlic press or finely minced
- 1/2 cup Pilsner beer white wine may be substituted
- 1/2 pound ditalini pasta
- 3 cups beef broth
- salt and black pepper
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese finely grated
- 4 cups mixed greens
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Instructions
- To a deep skillet, add the butter. Melt it over medium heat and add the shallot. Cook until tender, about 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 1 minute. Add the beer and continue cooking for about 8 minutes, or until the beer has reduced by more than half.
- Add the ditalini and stir the ingredients together. Pour in 1 1/2 cups of the beef broth. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has soaked up most of the liquid and then pour in the rest of the beef broth. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente.
- Season the pasta to taste with salt and black pepper. Remove from heat and stir in all but a tablespoon of parmesan cheese.
- In a medium bowl, toss the greens with olive oil and vinegar.
- Portion the pasta out among 2-4 bowls and stop with greens. Enjoy!
Notes
9 Responses
Ditalini is the best and this looks delicious- I love pasta with a side of something green for balance :)
Now that is one delicious plate of comfort food!!!
Ditalini is such a fun pasta shape!
Looks very inviting!
That third picture makes me so sad. You’re obviously a lighting wizard and you’re not sharing your secrets with us. ;) And good for you for not working all day, every day. That’s awesome! The ditalini looks delicious. :)
Oh my goodness, Justine, this looks absolutely amazing! This is definitely going on the menu for this week!
That cheesy ditalini! YUM! The perfect companion to a delicious salad!
This looks so yummy with a simple salad for added lightness!
This ditalini looks cheesy delicious! And I love that you mixed it with greens. YUM!